Practical discussion on contemporary life challenges from an ancient perspective.

Saturday, July 14, 2012

FALLING STAR

“Shining morning star,how
you have fallen from the heavens!You destroyer of nations,you have been cut down to the ground.” (Isaiah 14:12 HCSB)

Babylon was a
sleeping giant about to awaken.Although,
at the time of Isaiah’s prophecy, Assyria
still was the dominant world power, to the south of them, a new order was about
to arise.Isaiah saw that Babylon would overthrow and supplant Assyria.But, Isaiah also noted in these chapters that
Babylon would
eventually be judged and wiped off the earth.

Like
the tides, there is an ebb and flow of global powers—periodically whipped into
fury by a storm—signs of the curse of sin at work.Yet, the tides are subject to the Creator who
established the laws that governed them—so much so that a forecast can be made
of the precise moment of high tide and low tide.Never forget, that in a world that sometimes
seems out of control, where impotent men seek to reign, that God is ever in
control, moving things to His desired ends, and finally, fully to His glory.

Still,
the storms are at times permitted to come, breaking with hurricane force and
destruction.The sovereign God gives
Satan and his demonic forces limited freedom to sweep across the planet and
move the hearts of men to war and bloodshed.Pagan Babylon
with all its cruel deeds would have the Prince of Darkness whispering in the
ear of the King, directing him to lead his armies to battle.Those troops would eventually make their way
to the gates of Jerusalem and batter them down,
destroy the Temple,
devastate the city and carry away the choice of the population—the best and
brightest into exile.The people of God
would turn from God, and God would turn on them.

In
prophetic vision, Isaiah foresees all this.But, he sees even into the distant future when Babylon will rise again.In the last days, the world will again quake
under Babylon—a
rebuilt capital of the new world order that is coming.You can read about it in the Book of
Revelation—its devilish power and eventual total obliteration by God’s judgment
described there.Isaiah touches on these
events.

But,
his vision is not limited to the future.He looks into the mists of the past, before the dawn of human history,
and sees a falling star—the one who is the Prince of the Power of the Air, the
god of this world—Satan himself.His
vision enables Isaiah to see into the invisible, spiritual realm where
diabolical plans are devised and demonic powers are directed.Behind the earthly thrones, there are
spiritual forces—evil, malignant—with seething hate of God—which they infuse
into their human pawns.Paul speaks of
this in Ephesians 6:12, “For our battle is not
against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities,
against the world powers of this darkness, against the spiritual forces of evil
in the heavens.”

Isaiah sees how Lucifer (a
literal rendering of “morning star”) became the Devil.This one who was the choicest of creation,
the highest of the angelic order, became impressed with his glory and succumbed
to pride.In these five, “I will”
statements, is expressed the heart of his rebellion against God.

“You
said to yourself: ‘I will ascend to the heavens;I will set up my throneabove
the stars of God.I will sit on the mount of the [gods'] assembly,in the remotest parts of the North.I will ascend above
the highest clouds;I will make myself like the
Most High.’" (Isaiah 14:13-14 HCSB)

Falling Star—in that moment every
horror and heartache that would descend upon humanity was birthed in Lucifer’s
foul soul. His loathing of God is
absolute—but not his power.He can only
do what a sovereign God permits, and the Falling Star will ultimately be cast
into the Lake of Fire.Isaiah records God’s terse response to Satan’s ambitions.The five, “I will’s” are met with one: “But
you will be brought down to Sheolinto the
deepest regions of the Pit.” (Isaiah 14:15 HCSB)

He is not there yet.Satan is alive and well on planet earth, as
author Hal Lindsey noted.We see ample
evidence of that each day.In fact,
Satan still has some access to heaven.He must “check-in” so to speak (see Job 1-2).There will be a time, when he is fully
removed, his dirty feet never to walk on those golden streets again.

Jesus used the words of Isaiah to
describe Satan’s downfall.In connection
with the disciples’ deliverance of the demon-possessed, an authority which
flowed from the Lord Jesus, He announced, “He
said to them, ‘I watched Satan fall from heaven like a lightning flash.’” (Luke
10:18 HCSB)Satan is the Falling Star.

As
Luther, in his majestic hymn, “A Mighty Fortress Is Our God” correctly put it,
“For, lo, his doom is sure.” Now, we
wait the universal dominion of Christ, King of kings and Lord of lords—as the
Devil still roars and roams the earth in his insatiable appetite for power.

Fast
forward to what may not be the too far distant future.Consider these words about the falling star:

“Then war broke out in heaven: Michael
and his angels fought against the dragon. The dragon and his angels also
fought, but he could
not prevail, and there was no place for them in heaven any longer. So the great dragon
was thrown out-the ancient serpent, who is called the Devil and Satan, the one
who deceives the whole world. He was thrown to earth, and his angels with him.

Then I heard a loud voice in
heaven say:The salvation
and the powerand the
kingdom of our Godand the
authority of His Messiahhave now come,because the accuser of our brothershas been thrown out:the one who accuses thembefore our God day and night.

They conquered himby the blood of the Lamband by the word of their testimony,for they did not love their livesin the face of death.

Therefore rejoice, you heavens,and you who dwell in them!Woe to the
earth and the sea,for the Devil
has come down to youwith great
fury,because he knows he has a short
time.” (Revelation 12:7-12 HCSB)

When Lucifer, the shining star
fell, there followed him one-third of the angels in his failed rebellion (see
Rev.12:3-4).These once holy beings,
became demonic spirits who move at Satan’s command.They will wage a final, futile war to storm
the gates of heaven, but will be once and for all cast out.The already burning rage of the falling star
will become a supernova in its intensity and he will unleash his “scorched-earth”
policy.The bull’s eye will be Jerusalem, and the Jews
who have suffered long have one last holocaust to endure.But, they will.

The fate of the Falling Star
which Isaiah alludes to is pointedly predicted by John.

“When
the 1,000 years are completed, Satan will be released from his prison and
will go out to deceive the nations at the four corners of the earth, Gog and Magog,
to gather them for battle. Their number is like the sand of the sea. They came up over the
surface of the earth and surrounded the encampment of the saints, the beloved
city. Then fire came down from heaven and consumed them. The Devil who
deceived them was thrown into the lake of fire and sulfur where the beast and
the false prophet are, and they will be tormented day and night forever and
ever.”(Revelation 20:7-10 HCSB)

That
Falling Star will be eclipsed in the black hole of outer darkness, and the
Daystar will dawn, and shine forever!“I, Jesus, have sent My angel to attest these
things to you for the churches. I am the Root and the Offspring of David, the
Bright Morning Star."(Revelation
22:16 HCSB)

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About Me

I am a mountaineer by birth--a native of Asheville, NC. For a period of ten years I lived in the Charlotte area and for the last eighteen, I have been "home." I was brought up in a Christian family. In fact, I went to church nine months before I was born! Despite the best efforts of parents and preachers, I went astray. The Prodigal Son story that Jesus told in Luke 15 became my story--a sordid life of drugs and booze and that's enough for you to know. But at the age of eighteen all I had been taught came flooding back into my mind when I saw the mess I was in. Christ changed me. I gave my life to Him and as a result have spent the last three decades preaching the Gospel. I'm not all I ought to be and certainly not what I one day shall be, but thankfully, not what I used to be! God has blessed me with a great wife, five wonderful children and so far, twelve grandchildren. To Him be the glory and praise, now and forever.